Image source:
Books
in
Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed October 25, 2013.
http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|28299239|10686097&mc=USA#
Freedman, Russell. (2010). Lafayette and the American Revolution. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 9781461844242
The biography
of Lafayette and the American Revolution,
written by Russell Freedman is an illustrated, masterfully researched biography
of Gilbert de Motier, marquis de Lafayette. Nominated for a Beehive Children's
Informational Book Award in 2013, it tells of the French citizen of royal
blood, Lafayette, who leaves his motherland to defend the American colonists in
their revolution against the British. As a writer, Freedman is recognized as a
“master of well-documented biographies for young people” (Vardell, 2008).
Written with the utmost detail, the book ends with a time line, source notes, a
selected bibliography, picture credits, and an index. Each quotation from a
source is meticulously cited at the close of the reading in the source notes
section. Illustrations include paintings, etchings and engravings, each with
detail notes regarding artist and related information.
Each chapter is laid out in
chronological sequence of events. The table of contents includes each chapter
heading. A highly detailed index is available for easy reference. The design of Lafayette and the American Revolution includes paintings that are a
perfectly selected to accompany the text. Many of rich in colors and detail lead
the reader to truly experience the essence of the text. The vocabulary used in this book is
appropriate to the topic. It contains historical data in a readable fashion
that captures interest and stimulates curiosity. The reader wants to know what
happens next. The method of including quotations creates an atmosphere of real
people in real circumstances. Although it is historical data, it is not simply
a culmination of many facts. There is a more personal approach to the writing.
Freedman is clearly dedicated to imparting a true picture of the man Lafayette
became as a result of his journeys.
Although an excellent resource,
"...There are shortcomings which include a lack of consistency between footnote
references," as stated by Ann W. Moore in her School Library Journal review
(Books in Print 2010). Lafayette and the
American Revolution can be effectively used as a reference with youth
learning about American history and the foundations of freedom from British
rule.
References:
Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed October 25, 2013.
http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|29640311|38837809&mc=USA
Freedman, Russell. (2010). Lafayette and the American Revolution. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 9781461844242
Vardell, Sylvia M. (2008). Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.
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